Lemuel Gulliver is a surgeon from England who loves to travel. During his travels, he ends up in some very fantastical places (usually bu accident or due to circumstances beyond his control). He visits an island of people six inches tall, the Lilliputians, who capture him. He befriends then and aids then in their war. However, enemies conspire against him and he is forved to leave Lilliput and head over to the island of Blefisci. There he encounters a human-sized boat and finds his way back to England via Australia. On another voyage, Gulliver ends up on a island of sixty feet tall giants, the Brobdingnags. Here he is treated like a fair attraction until the Queen takes him for her pet. He leave Brobdingnag by accident and returns to England. His next voyage see him marooned at see by pirates. He is rescued by Laputians, who Live on a floating island. However their dedication to math and music make them useless at anything else. Gulliver also visits an island of sorcerers, Glubbdubdrib, and an island with an absolute king and immortals called Luggnagg. Yet again on another voyage, he is marooned on an island. A lying violent and disgusting animal very similar to humans in physicality called Yahoos, along with a species that are similar to horses called Houyhnhnm govern with absolute reason. Gulliver falls in love with the Houyhnhnm but is asked to leave. When returns home to England for the final time, he find himself repulsed by his family, considering them Yahoos. Gulliver finds he prefers the company of his horse to his human family but continues to long for his Houyhnhnm friends.
SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on Gulliver’s Travels.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2003. Web. 14 Mar. 2013.Lemuel Gulliver A traveler and an adventurer. Gulliver is the narrator and protagonist as well as an observer of other beings and other cultures. . Although Lemuel Gulliver’s detailed and lively descriptions prove he is intelligent and well educated some of his perceptions seem naïve. Gulliver also appears to be very gullible and has no metal awareness of his emotions. His narration is strictly factual. For example his obsession towards the navigation truths of his adventure. Gulliver never sees the strangeness behind his findings or things as of it is funny. Gulliver does however take a fondness towards Houyhnhnm and through this we his compassion and wishes shine through the story. Gulliver is very layed back and takes everything that is throw at him with ease, just moving on to the next thing. This trait is what makes his adventures even possible in the first place.
setting
The setting take place in some rather oddly names places, Lilliput, Brobdingnag, Laputa, Glubbdubdrib, Luggnagg, Japan, and Houyhnhnm Land. Lilliput is a land where Gulliver is a giant surrounded by tinny people in this microscopic childs dream Lilliput inhabitants resemble dolls and toy soldiers. In contrast to this Gulliver finds himself in Brodbingnang where he himself is microscopic sourounded by a race of Giants that inhabit the land of Brodbingnang. Japan Is Gullivers ticket home to England. It is one of the few real regions in the book besides England From japan he manages to pas as a Dutch merchant to get passage home to England. Another region Houyhnhnnm land (pronounced whinim) This land is totally isolated from the other islands no one from that island has ever visited the other islands.
Conflicts
man v man,
Gulliver faces countless creatures, some who befriend him and others who capture and inflict harm onto him, like the Lilliputians or pirates.
man v self,
Gulliver must put aside his own understand of how things work in order to survive during his travels as well as face his own flaws and failures.
man v society,
When Gulliver returns to England he realizes his family are much like the hate yahoos.
man v nature,
Gulliver often arrives on these strange island because the winds or sea too him there. He often doesn't know how or plan of going home, but nature provides a way.
man v technology
Laputa is full of music and math but the people who live there fail to make practical use of their knowledge therefore making it useless.
symbols Houyhnhnms
The Houyhnhnms represent an ideal of rational existence. A life governed by sense and moderation. A life that greatly appeals to Gulliver.
Laputans
The Laputans have no relation to human life and no use in the actual world. They represent all that is useless within out society.
England
England represents Gulliver's father’s disappointingly “small estate” and his failing business. England seems to symbolize failure in at least a financial sense Gulliver. Which is something that matters the most in his eyes.
Themes
Might Versus Right
Gulliver experiences the advantages of physical power on both ends, the one who has it and the one who is without it. There are those who claim to rule based of morals but no single person can rule off these, some amount of physical force must be executed. Where is the line drawn from brutality and what is necessary to maintain control?
The Individual Versus Society
Gulliver Travels explores the idea of a utopia as well as relating back to our own distopian society. On Gulliver solo adventures he is able to visit these perfect utopia society but upon his return to England surround by society all he see is his financial failure.
The Limits of Human Understanding
The idea that humans are not meant to know everything and that all understanding has a natural limit is important in Gulliver’s Travels. We can see this through the strange new things Gulliver experiences and although Gulliver is intelligent, he is very naive. This is an important lesson to humanity that no matter how smart you are you are
always going to be a little naive, because one can not simple experience everything.
Video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ph0XLhnTNNM
SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on Gulliver’s Travels.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2003. Web. 14 Mar. 2013.
SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on Gulliver’s Travels.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2003. Web. 14 Mar. 2013.
"Gulliver's Travels." Greatbookstudy. BlogSpot.com, 22 Apr. 2012. Web. 1 Apr. 2013. <http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uhvpoY_gBMw/T5SXNQz3nCI/AAAAAAAAEDY/HPcJ__XOqEg/s1600/laputa01.jpg>.
Swift, Johnathan. "Gulliver's Travels By Jonathan Swift Book Summary." Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift CliffsNotes. Cliff Notes, 2011. Web. 01 Apr. 2013. <http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/literature/gullivers-travels/book-summary.html>.Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift CliffsNotes - Study Guide and Helpwww.cliffsnotes.comPranav20003000. "Gulliver's Travels - Trailer." YouTube. YouTube, 20 Jan. 2008. Web. 01 Apr. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOFn0eCFV8M>.Gulliver's Travels - Trailerwww.youtube.comvideo clip
SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on Gulliver’s Travels.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2003. Web. 14 Mar. 2013.Lemuel Gulliver A traveler and an adventurer. Gulliver is the narrator and protagonist as well as an observer of other beings and other cultures. . Although Lemuel Gulliver’s detailed and lively descriptions prove he is intelligent and well educated some of his perceptions seem naïve. Gulliver also appears to be very gullible and has no metal awareness of his emotions. His narration is strictly factual. For example his obsession towards the navigation truths of his adventure. Gulliver never sees the strangeness behind his findings or things as of it is funny. Gulliver does however take a fondness towards Houyhnhnm and through this we his compassion and wishes shine through the story. Gulliver is very layed back and takes everything that is throw at him with ease, just moving on to the next thing. This trait is what makes his adventures even possible in the first place.
setting
The setting take place in some rather oddly names places, Lilliput, Brobdingnag, Laputa, Glubbdubdrib, Luggnagg, Japan, and Houyhnhnm Land. Lilliput is a land where Gulliver is a giant surrounded by tinny people in this microscopic childs dream Lilliput inhabitants resemble dolls and toy soldiers. In contrast to this Gulliver finds himself in Brodbingnang where he himself is microscopic sourounded by a race of Giants that inhabit the land of Brodbingnang. Japan Is Gullivers ticket home to England. It is one of the few real regions in the book besides England From japan he manages to pas as a Dutch merchant to get passage home to England. Another region Houyhnhnnm land (pronounced whinim) This land is totally isolated from the other islands no one from that island has ever visited the other islands.
Conflicts
man v man,
Gulliver faces countless creatures, some who befriend him and others who capture and inflict harm onto him, like the Lilliputians or pirates.
man v self,
Gulliver must put aside his own understand of how things work in order to survive during his travels as well as face his own flaws and failures.
man v society,
When Gulliver returns to England he realizes his family are much like the hate yahoos.
man v nature,
Gulliver often arrives on these strange island because the winds or sea too him there. He often doesn't know how or plan of going home, but nature provides a way.
man v technology
Laputa is full of music and math but the people who live there fail to make practical use of their knowledge therefore making it useless.
symbols Houyhnhnms
The Houyhnhnms represent an ideal of rational existence. A life governed by sense and moderation. A life that greatly appeals to Gulliver.
Laputans
The Laputans have no relation to human life and no use in the actual world. They represent all that is useless within out society.
England
England represents Gulliver's father’s disappointingly “small estate” and his failing business. England seems to symbolize failure in at least a financial sense Gulliver. Which is something that matters the most in his eyes.
Themes
Might Versus Right
Gulliver experiences the advantages of physical power on both ends, the one who has it and the one who is without it. There are those who claim to rule based of morals but no single person can rule off these, some amount of physical force must be executed. Where is the line drawn from brutality and what is necessary to maintain control?
The Individual Versus Society
Gulliver Travels explores the idea of a utopia as well as relating back to our own distopian society. On Gulliver solo adventures he is able to visit these perfect utopia society but upon his return to England surround by society all he see is his financial failure.
The Limits of Human Understanding
The idea that humans are not meant to know everything and that all understanding has a natural limit is important in Gulliver’s Travels. We can see this through the strange new things Gulliver experiences and although Gulliver is intelligent, he is very naive. This is an important lesson to humanity that no matter how smart you are you are
always going to be a little naive, because one can not simple experience everything.
Video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ph0XLhnTNNM
SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on Gulliver’s Travels.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2003. Web. 14 Mar. 2013.
SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on Gulliver’s Travels.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2003. Web. 14 Mar. 2013.
"Gulliver's Travels." Greatbookstudy. BlogSpot.com, 22 Apr. 2012. Web. 1 Apr. 2013. <http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uhvpoY_gBMw/T5SXNQz3nCI/AAAAAAAAEDY/HPcJ__XOqEg/s1600/laputa01.jpg>.
Swift, Johnathan. "Gulliver's Travels By Jonathan Swift Book Summary." Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift CliffsNotes. Cliff Notes, 2011. Web. 01 Apr. 2013. <http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/literature/gullivers-travels/book-summary.html>.Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift CliffsNotes - Study Guide and Helpwww.cliffsnotes.comPranav20003000. "Gulliver's Travels - Trailer." YouTube. YouTube, 20 Jan. 2008. Web. 01 Apr. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOFn0eCFV8M>.Gulliver's Travels - Trailerwww.youtube.comvideo clip